Hello everybody I am not dead look at that! What is this, the third chapter in a month? (vs. the what, 2 years with barely a single chatper?)

Anyways, everything goes terribly wrong like usual, what's new. It probably would have come out sooner, but I was busy reading BillDip if you're interested in knowing why it didn't. I was also working on a new story that might be up sometime this week, but idk.

Anyways, thanks for all the great support you guys have given me, and hopefully I'll update soon! (if i don't get stuck on more shizaya and billdip fanfic that is)

Byeeeee. - Tori

The lump in Shizuo's bed rolled over, displeased at how he was awoken. "...Huh? Shizu-chan, why are you yelling?"

"Why in the world are you in my bed?!" Shizuo, once again, ignored the nickname given to him, focusing on the more pressing problem. The blond was standing next to the bed, towering over the small vampire. He had practically jumped out of it from shock, after all.

Izaya was a bit more awake, -not by choice mind you- and he sat up in (Shizuo's) bed, wrapping blankets around himself. "Because I get cold easily, and your body is really warm. I'll make sure not to do it again if it bothers you that badly." The vampire stretched, then took a moment to get out of bed. Shizuo could have sworn he heard the vampire mumble, "I didn't even do it on purpose..", but he wasn't sure.

"No, it's fine.. I was just surprised." Shizuo sighed, unsure what to do in this situation. He'd feel bad kicking the vampire out, and Shizuo didn't see any harm in Izaya using his body heat to keep warm. "Was there not enough blankets in your room? I think there are some more in the closet-"

"Blankets work, just not as well as body heat I guess. And since winter's close by, I guess I just… wanted yours.." Izaya slowly grew quieter, unlike the blush on his face. "A- Anyways! Don't you have to get ready for work? Did you want me to make you some breakfast, master?" And the infamous smirk had returned for the day.

Shizuo grabbed the closest thing to him- a metal piece on the foot of his bed. "One… Two… Three… Four..."

"Shizu-chan, what're you doing?"

"Five… Six… Seven…"

"Shizu-chan?"

"Eight… Nine… Ten..." The blond took a deep breath and released his tight grip on his bed. Crap, I bent the metal again. The place he had been holding was crushed completely into the hollow center, and Shizuo slightly hoped Izaya wouldn't notice it. "… You know what? If you're gonna call me stupid nicknames, then I'll call you one too."

Izaya raised an eyebrow, but didn't speak. The vampire never had a personal nickname, that was for sure. He was curious as to what Shizuo had thought of.

Shizuo grinned, or more like smirked. "I'll call you…" The blond paused, looking right into Izaya's gaze. "Flea."

…..

Izaya had made a couple guesses in that short span of time, but 'flea' definitely wasn't even close to making the list. He had thought something closer to "pet" or "Iza-chan", thinking Shizuo would use his own nicknames against him.

"Flea? Why 'Flea'?!"

"Because you drink blood and you're small." Shizuo pat Izaya's head a couple times, making Izaya remember their height difference. He hadn't thought it was that big of a deal, but Shizu-chan had other ideas. The vampire didn't even try to swat the larger male's hand away, realizing it'd only confirm what Shizuo said as true (truer than it already was). Definitely not because he was slightly enjoying the affection. Not in the slightest.

"Don't you have to get ready for work?" Izaya quickly changed the subject before he was ridiculed any more.

Shizuo looked at the alarm clock next to his bed, yawning. "Oh, right."

In less than half an hour, Shizuo was heading out the door, off to work for the day. Izaya learned that the blond usually skips breakfast, so he just stood around watching Shizuo get ready.

It was only 8:00 (apparently that was early for Shizuo), so Izaya contemplated if he should go back to bed or not. Then again, Shizuo wouldn't be there to cuddle with.

The vampire decided against it, instead deciding to get dressed. His clothes should be much cleaner now, considering they hadn't been washed in quite a while before yesterday.

Izaya couldn't even remember the last time he'd been in a warm house for more than an hour. He looked out the window, watching the colorful leaves fall from the hibernating trees. The raven supposed he should be grateful to Shizuo. After all, winter was approaching fast and Izaya was nowhere near prepared for it.

Vampires really have it tough. The sun doesn't melt them or any of that crap, but it stings pretty bad, especially if you stay in it a while. The cold is just as bad though; it won't kill any vampires, but the cold-blooded creatures get cold easily (what a shocker) and it's really not fun to deal with.

Shizu-chan didn't even kick Izaya out after their… incident this morning. He had half expected the blond to push him out the front door, not agree to let him cuddle more! Well, not cuddle, per say. More like 'using Shizuo's body heat to his advantage'.

Izaya sat on the couch, noticing the book Shizu-chan left on the small table. The vampire shrugged, why not? It'd give him something to do for a bit, and let him sort his thoughts for the first time in a while.

Mythological creatures, huh? Why does Shizu-chan even have a book like this?

Anyways, Shizuo seemed a lot more.. innocent? When it came to things like undressing in front of another. Maybe he's just the epitome of straight? Or did he actually not know anything about what comes after a kiss in a relationship? Has the blond ever been in a relationship? Izaya may still be a virgin (he makes sure to avoid that when he repays a debt), finding it much more fun to just watch humans from the sidelines, but what was Shizuo's excuse? He's what, 24?

Izaya snapped out of his thoughts, slightly scared as to why he was thinking about Shizu-chan's relationships. From the sound of it, he didn't have a girlfriend or boyfriend. "There's an extra room you can use, since it'll just be collecting dust anyways."

Maybe the raven would have to play a little trick on Shizu-chan when he got home~ …..…..

Maybe not. His past jokes have only ended with him blushing or Shizuo getting mad. He had seen what the blond did to his bed after Izaya called him "master", and the vampire didn't want it tried out on him next. It'd explain why he couldn't untie the ropes though.

Izaya looked at the clock on the wall. An hour had already passed, and he hadn't even flipped to page 2. Or read page 1.

He put the book down. Obviously the vampire wasn't getting anywhere with it, and he could do better things with his time. He could sweep the kitchen or vacuum the living room or dust off the house. At least then he'd be productive while lost in thought.

And so that's what the vampire did. Shizu-chan hadn't said any rooms were off limits, so he just looked in the closet till he found some cleaning supplies, and started cleaning.

Izaya was never big on housework; he had always made other people do it for him. But now it was his personal job, and he'd be darned if he didn't do it practically perfect. He'd also have to relearn how to cook. It'd been a couple months since he'd picked up a fork, much less baked. What kind of foods did Shizu-chan even like?

Within the next two hours, the floor was swept and the carpet was all vacuumed, including the two rooms. Izaya even dusted all around the house. He may be dead, but the coughing fits the dust was giving him was going to kill him again. Apparently Shizu-chan wasn't joking when he said the raven's room was just going to be collecting dust.

It was only 11:30, and Izaya was already worn out for the day. Shizuo hadn't given him enough blood, but it was more than he'd gotten in the past three months combined, so it was good enough. He'd find some way to survive, just like always. You were supposed to go slow with food at first after being starved, since your body wouldn't be used to the sudden intake of energy anyways. So maybe Izaya had eaten too much (not that he had a choice at the time but still).

The raven decided to skip the bathroom till tomorrow, deciding to save his strength. He'd (regretfully) have to ask Shizu-chan for more blood soon after he got home.

Izaya wondered how that was going to go. Last time, Shizu-chan had practically forced his finger down the vampires throat, and he was much too weak to fight the delicious taste of his blood. Like, his blood was really good. Hopefully the blond would let him drink from his neck this time, or at least give him some warning before slicing his hand in half. The raven hated being treated as a lesser being, but he supposed it was okay if it was Shizuo. Wait, what-

The thought of Shizuo's blood made Izaya's stomach growl in anticipation, hungering for more of it, which successfully snapped the vampire out of his thoughts. It was so sweet and delicious! How had he avoided all other vampires before now? Or hadn't he?

There were an untold number of things Izaya didn't know about his new master, and he had an intense urge to learn everything about Shizu-chan. His favorite foods, his friends, his enemies, his relationships, his experiences with other gosh dang vampires.

Izaya leaned down to look at the books on the bottom shelf of the small book case, hoping to find a cookbook with a couple of bookmarks. He had no such luck, and went on to search in the cabinets in the kitchen. Izaya learned where some of the pots and pans are, along with finding what he was looking for. "Aha! Found you!"

The vampire grabbed the small cookbook that was falling apart at the edges. Shizu-chan must use it often, or at least read it. Izaya was going to have this debt payed off in no time! He's definitely not doing this because he wants to express his thanks subtly in a form Shizuo would like. Definitely not.

The raven sat down on the comfortable couch that was rapidly gaining memories. "Now, let's see what kind of food Shizu-chan likes~!"

Izaya opened the book to one of the many bookmarks (he really got lucky) to find … a chocolate cake.

He wasn't sure what he was expecting going into the book, since it's filled with dinners, breakfasts, and desserts alike, but somehow.. Izaya's not very surprised honestly.

The next couple bookmarks all included some kind of sweet: cookies, ice cream, pies, and a lot of things that included milk. What was he, 4? "Shizu-chan, your cravings are that of a child's." Izaya slammed the book shut, putting it back on the shelf. He should probably still ask Shizuo what his favorite foods are, just in case the raven was wrong.

Izaya looked at the clock once again. It read 1:00, meaning he had nothing to do for about four hours, assuming that Shizu-chan got home around 5:00.

"I suppose taking a short nap wouldn't hurt.." Izaya yawned, making him realize how tiring cleaning actually was. He made his was over to Shizuo's bed, falling asleep almost instantly after burying himself in blankets.

…..

Izaya slowly drifted out of sleep to the smell of something absolutely delicious. It was so sweet, almost like Shizu-chan's blood~

Wait. It was Shizu-chan's blood.

The vampire lost all traces of remaining tiredness, jumping out of bed. He glanced through the house, seeing that Shizuo wasn't home yet.

Izaya was almost certain the front door was going to break with how hard he slammed it open, but it stayed in tact. Shizuo stood on the other side of the door, his hand held out like he was about to grab the handle, slightly shocked at his door opening suddenly.

"Why do I smell your blood?!"

Shizuo's surprised expression quickly disappeared, realizing what was happening. "Oh, uh.. There was a bit of trouble at work, nothing too bad."

Izaya glanced over Shizu-chan's body, finding the cause of the blood. "Did you get shot?!"

"Yeah.. It's not that bad." Shizuo was acting oddly calm about the whole situation, while Izaya felt like he was going to have a gosh dang heart attack. "I'll just get a band-aid, or maybe some super glue would work better..."

"Super glue?! Don't you need to see, like, a doctor?!"

Shizuo shrugged. Izaya wanted to scream. His master had gotten SHOT and wants to put SUPER GLUE on his wound?!

"I guess I do need to get the bullet out. We can visit Shinra after dinner, then. I'm kinda hungry." Izaya moved aside to let Shizuo into his house.

"I'll start making dinner, but doesn't it hurt?! You got shot! Don't humans die from that kind of thing?!" The raven couldn't understand how Shizuo wasn't freaking out. Was this a regular occurrence at his work?! Izaya swore he was going under cardiac arrest, and his heart stopped beating a long time ago.

"I'll help you-"

"No, you will sit on the couch while I go get some bandages and stop the bleeding." Izaya pushed the blond onto the comfortable seat.

"Are you mad that I'm wasting blood?" Shizu-chan allowed himself to be pushed by the small vampire.

"What? No! Why would I be?" Izaya soaked some paper towels (they probably should have used these yesterday instead of the rag, but they were panicking) in water, then proceeded to press it against Shizuo's thigh. It quickly turned a deep red.

Shizuo just shrugged. "So, what did you want for dinner?"

"Whatever you want is fine."

"Hm...In that case… Wait, do vampires eat food?" Shizuo looked at the raven, who had walked found some bandages and was wrapping them around his leg.

Izaya didn't even glance at the blond as he answered. "We are able to, yes, but it does nothing for our hunger. I would be perfectly fine living off of just blood, if that's what you wish." The vampire finished wrapping the wound and stood up. "Are you sure you're alright? It doesn't hurt?"

"I'll be fine. You don't need to worry about it."

"I do need to worry about it. You are my master, and your well-being is important to me." Izaya leaned against the counter, finally starting to calm down a bit.

"… Doesn't that hurt your pride?"

"Doesn't what hurt my pride?"

"Calling me 'master' or whatever. I can't imagine you like doing it."

Not necessarily. I'm actually having quite a bit of fun with this. I get a warm house and a steady source of blood, after all." Izaya smirked, even though the blond wasn't able to see him or it.

"I'd let you stay here even if you didn't call me 'master', you know."

"I know." Izaya was probably more surprised than Shizuo when he said he'd been having fun with this arrangement. He's doing this to repay his debt, not to have fun! Yet, here he was, enjoying himself while serving Shizu-chan's every whim. "Have you decided what you want yet?"

"Whatever you find in the cabinet is fine. I need to go grocery shopping soon."

…..

Less than 15 minutes later, the clock read 5:25, and Shizuo and Izaya were both sitting at the dining room table with Mac N Cheese.

"So what happened to the guy who shot you?" Izaya hungrily dug into the bowl, even though it did nothing towards his hunger.

Shizuo shrugged, also digging into the food. "Probably the hospital."

"I see… So this 'Shinra' person you mentioned earlier, is he a doctor?" Neither stopped for breaks in between bites.

"Ah, yeah. He's a friend I met in high school. Shinra's… a bit crazy, but he's a good guy." Shizuo glanced at the raven, who met his stare back. "Try not to come between him and Celty, though."

"Who's Celty?"

"His… girlfriend? I don't know where they stand, but Shinra's dead set on marrying her. He'd easily kill me if he thought I was trying to steal Celty away from him." Shizuo laughed to himself, remembering how many times that conversation came up in high school, since Celty is his best friend, after all.

"And he's a qualified doctor, even though he'd have no regrets killing you?" By now, the Mac N Cheese was gone, and though Izaya was still starving, he began to clean up the table.

The blond stood up from his chair, to which the raven glanced at his leg, making sure it was alright. "He's not exactly.. a qualified doctor." The glare from Izaya made Shizuo quickly continue. "You'll know what I mean when we get there. Do you want help with that..?"

"I'm sure I'll manage." The vampire was washing off the dishes, leaving them to dry on their own while the two are out.

…..

Soon enough, the duo were walking in the streets, just a bit before dusk. Practically nobody was outside, not wanting to be the next vampire victim. As they got closer to the city (it's practically the same town), they soon started seeing more people.

"I don't get why people feel more safe in a crowd. Anybody could easily drag them into an alleyway, and not one person in the streets would care." Izaya sneered, then shivered. He still only had his shirt on, even though Shizuo had asked him if he wanted to borrow a jacket.

The 'crowd' Izaya was talking about had actually made a pathway specially for Shizuo, as soon as they had realized who he was. They had no desire to learn what the bandage on his leg was for, and even less of a desire to learn what the blond's mood currently was. Izaya found it quite strange, but was thankful nobody was bothering them, nor that they'd get separated from each other. Not that it would take long for the raven to find Shizu-chan; the smell of his blood was dangerously noticeable for the vampire.

"I told you you'd be cold without a jacket on." Shizuo had to squint when a bit of sun hit his eyes, making him realize something. "Wait, the sun's still up. Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine, Shizu-chan. It just tingles a bit. It's much worse in the middle of the day in summer, so this is practically nothing." Izaya waved the blond's worry off, much like what Shizuo had done earlier to him. That situation was a bit more drastic, though.

A soft breeze flew by, making Izaya shiver again. He could see the vampire's breath, so it was obviously too cold to be outside without a jacket. "Hey Flea, we're here."

The raven hadn't noticed Shizuo had stopped walking, so he quickly turned around to catch up with the blond's sudden direction change. He walked in the tall building, following Shizu-chan. It surprised Izaya how fast he had reacted to being called 'flea', but didn't let it show.

The blond ignored the lady at the desk, who also ignored him in return. They continued on down the hall, then took an elevator up a few floors. Izaya couldn't remember the last time he'd been in an elevator.

Shizuo walked down another hall when the elevator shaft opened, stopping at the first door. Actually, it looked like this was the only door on the floor- Izaya had seen enough weird things lately, so he didn't question this. Maybe the people who lived here are rich.

The door opened shortly after Shizuo knocked on it (wasn't that a doorbell next to the door), and Izaya saw who answered. A short (he's taller than you, Izaya) brown-haired boy with big, round glasses and a lab coat.

"Oh Shizuo, I haven't seen you in a while." The 'doctor' looked down at the blond's leg, realizing what happened. "Did you get shot again?"

Again?